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USA:Major footwear retailers end up on the
positive side in Jan 2005 |
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2005-2-6
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Except for footwear retailer Payless ShoeSource reporting a decline, majority of retailers said post-holiday shopping drove up same-store sales in January.
DSW, the Columbus, Ohio-based company showed 13 percent growth in January, as composite sales rose 33 percent to $56.7 million. Similarly, in January, Famous Footwear rose 10.8 percent and 6.8 percent at Shoe Carnival.
Evansville, Ind., based At Shoe Carnival said overall January sales rose 13 percent, to $34.2 million. According to EVP and CFO Kerry Jackson, the 256-unit chain’s sales uptick was not driven my markdowns.
“The most encouraging aspect of our January sales was how well the customer responded to our early spring deliveries of our non-athletic footwear, particularly in our women’s dress category,” said Jackson, speaking in a conference call. He informed that footwear sales at Shoe Carnival went up 6.6 percent in January.
But for Payless, it was a 3-percent decline in comps, although total sales went up 3.3 percent for the month, to $134.1 million. The company said Thursday that it now expects charges from a series of strategic initiatives announced in August — including selling off its Parade business and leaving Peru and Chile — will come in at the low end of its original $70 million to $80 million guidance.
“Through targeted promotions and inventory receipt management, [Payless] succeeded in its goal to end the year with its inventory appropriately positioned for spring 2005,” the company noted in a statement. Based on initial estimates, year-end inventory levels per store are expected to be lower in 2004 versus 2003, which were some of the plus points scored by the company in January.
On the other hand, at Brown Shoe Co., growth at its 919-store Famous Footwear chain were driven by “strength across all genders,” said Ron Fromm, chairman and CEO of the St. Louis-based chain. “Margins were in-line with expectations and the momentum continued in athletics.” Total sales for the month were $64 million, up from $55 million a year ago.
Naturalizer, reported flat sales where same-store sales across the 375-unit chain fell 3.3 percent at $10.9 million. “We continue to be disappointed with our Naturalizer retail performance,” said Fromm, “and as previously announced, are addressing current challenges with new initiatives aimed at improving this segment of our business.” |
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